Tapas on the Beach
by devoosha
Summary: Part 5 of the Artist Keith/Lance grad student series. Read parts 1-4 to catch up on the story, starting with You Like My Cooking? (the rest have food in the titles). Lance takes Keith on a beach date and Keith tells Shiro and Pidge about the relationship.


**Tapas on the Beach**

"So this is out of the ordinary."

Keith winced at the amused tone of his brother when Shiro answered his call. Of course he wouldn't answer as a normal person would – with a 'hello, how are you?'. He had to be Shiro.

"What is?" Keith asked, though he knew immediately what Shiro meant.

"Well, first of all you're actually calling me."

"I call you all the time," Keith protested.

"No. I think the actual truth is that I call you most of the time."

"Not true."

Shiro ignored that. "Second, you're calling me on a Monday afternoon. Definitely not a time you usually call. We usually talk on Sunday nights."

"Well, that's true."

"Third, we have not, in fact, talked for two weeks. I did call – multiple times, but you didn't answer. Just texted each time that you'd call me later."

"No, it hasn't been two weeks. It's been ten days, which if I remember math correctly is four days short of two weeks. I know it's been awhile, so this call should not be a surprise, even if it is out of the ordinary," Keith reasoned.

"I guess I can accept that part of your argument."

"Are we having an argument?"

"Not exactly. Just stating the fact that my little brother, a creature of habit, decided to throw all normal behaviors out the window."

"Creature of habit?" Keith asked in a now-amused tone.

"Yes. We talk every Sunday. You text me every night. We haven't TALKED – on the phone or over text – in a long time. I've actually been worried about you."

Keith could hear the concern underneath Shiro's bantering tone. He imagined that not hearing anything except for a quick text on Sunday from Keith saying he'd call later had to have worried his older brother. Shiro, who had been responsible for Keith since Keith was twelve, took his role as father figure seriously. While they had a great and fun relationship (and even though Keith was twenty-four, employed full-time, and lived on his own in another city) Shiro still worried about him.

"Everything is fine, Shiro," Keith assured him.

"Are you sure?"

Keith nodded, then said, "Yes, I promise," when he realized he wasn't on FaceTime with Shiro. He was surprised that Shiro didn't bring that point out when he pointed out the other out-of-the-ordinary behaviors of Keith. They always talked on FaceTime.

"So if everything is fine, why not video chat?" Shiro asked. Keith rolled his eyes. Of course.

"Uh, I'm in class. I mean the classroom. I figured it would be easier to call."

"Are you between classes?"

"Yeah. Well, between exams." Keith had not wanted to video chat, because he wanted to tell Shiro about Lance. He knew he should have called Shiro right after they decided to be boyfriends, but something held him back. He wasn't exactly sure what, but he knew that Shiro would tease and then Matt and Pidge would tease and then Allura would tease, and he didn't want to have to listen to it.

Besides, it was sort of nice to have this thing between them, with no one knowing about it. Except Hunk and Shay, of course. And every day was busy and filled with Lance Lance Lance. They spent almost every minute that Keith wasn't at school together. They may not have been official dates, but they spent every evening last week at either Keith's or Lance's apartment (or Hunk and Shay's one night). Their second official date and their first going out date was on Saturday, where Keith went all out to give Lance the romantic night of his dreams.

Today was the first day of Lance's new job. Lance had sweet-talked the Altea Aquarium into hiring him part time during the day. He needed some sort of income, albeit a very small income, and something to do. He enjoyed it too and while the aquarium didn't have any Makos in their shark exhibit, Lance was able to work with the resident sharks and have access to all of the research data available. Lance wasn't officially starting work on his PhD until the fall, though, as he told Keith, he did have a research trip lined up for most of July.

Keith was proud of, and excited for, Lance. He had already had a few texts from his boyfriend today – the boy was so happy at the aquarium. He had made friends there when he volunteered while in his undergrad program, and was thrilled that many of those people still worked there, including a respected marine biologist that Lance viewed as a sort of mentor.

Keith himself had been busy prepping the exams for his classes, which also contributed to his almost two-week radio silence with Shiro. And Pidge, he realized. He didn't even want to have that conversation with his snarky best friend. She was sure to rip into him harshly.

"Keith?" Shiro said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. It's just been crazy. You know, finals week started today. I had talked to you that Friday a couple weeks ago, when you called about that freelance job, so I guess I didn't think I needed to call that Sunday."

"You've missed two Sundays, Keith," Shiro reminded him in that dad voice that always made Keith feel guilty.

"Like I said, busy."

"Too busy for your favorite brother?"

"You're only my favorite because you're my only brother," Keith teased. He heard Shiro briefly chuckle and then the silence stretched too long to be comfortable to Keith. He cleared his throat and finally said, "Uh, the thing is. Um. I met someone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He's. We're." Keith sighed, then admitted without even trying to hide the happiness in his voice, "I have a boyfriend."

The other end of the call was silent.

"Shiro?"

"I'm sorry, Keith. Did you say something like you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, I did."

"Like, a real one?"

"Shiro!"

"I have to ask…"

"Why do you think you have to ask if he's real?"

"Well I didn't know if you'd gotten desperate enough to, uh, I don't know. Get a fake one or something like that?"

"Oh my god. I was never desperate!"

"You dated all those guys, Keith. Sounded desperate to me."

"Nice. No, I wasn't desperate. Yes, I did try to meet someone, but I wasn't desperate for anyone. If I were, I'd have been sleeping with all of them."

"Have you slept with this one?"

"NO!" he cried. "Well, not exactly."

"Oh, do tell?"

Keith sighed. "We fell asleep together on the couch Saturday night after our date. So I guess technically we slept together, but it wasn't what you think!"

He finally heard Shiro chuckle. "Ok ok. So tell me about this guy. Did you meet him on that dating app?"

"No," Keith said shortly.

"Aw come on, Keith, don't be mad. I want to hear all about this real boyfriend."

"He's my next door neighbor."

"That's convenient. At least you don't have to go far to get some."

"Why do I even talk to you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just really giddy about this."

"You are the worst."

"I thought I was your favorite?"

"By default."

"Keeeeeeiiiiiiiiith."

"Ugh, if you stop the whining, I'll tell you."

"I'm all ears!"

"His name is Lance and I actually ran into him a week ago Saturday in the lobby. Like literally. I had just gotten home from an awful date and he was on his way out to a club. He invited me, but I said no."

"That doesn't sound too promising. I mean, you said no. That doesn't exactly mean you're dating?"

"Shut up, there's more."

"Go on."

Keith told Shiro about the following day – how Lance came begging for food, how well they hit it off, how Lance told Keith that he'd noticed him a couple weeks before and wanted to ask him out, how Lance DID ask him out, how their first date went, how their first week was spent, how their first going out date went – as well as everything he knew about Lance, which, in spite of knowing each other a relatively short time, was a lot.

Shiro listened patiently, asking a few questions here and there, but mostly he let Keith talk. Keith thought to himself with amusement that he didn't need to use FaceTime to see Shiro. He could picture his brother's surprised expression that not only did Keith meet someone and become boyfriends within two days, but also was chatting so much about the boy. Keith and Shiro talked every week, to be sure, but Keith never had very much to say. Their conversations would consist of Keith relating whatever bad date he had been on the night before, how his week of classes had gone, and Red's general health. Shiro ended up doing most of the talking, which was the norm for them. Today, however, Keith spent an hour in telling Shiro everything about Lance, practically gushing over the phone at how wonderful his boyfriend was.

When Keith stopped, Shiro didn't say anything. Not for a long minute and Keith tapped the fingers of his free hand nervously on the stack of final exams waiting for his next class of students. "Shiro?" Keith asked, disturbed by the silence from his brother. He winced, as he could tell his tone of voice was hurt.

"So," Shiro said slowly, "you basically met a guy, fell in love, and became boyfriends in the space of two days?"

Keith sighed, "I knew telling you was a bad idea. No, we haven't said the love word yet, but yes, we are dating."

"Keith…"

"No, I think I knew you'd react like this. That's probably why I didn't call that night. I finally find someone who makes me happy…"

"Keith!" Now Shiro's voice sounded hurt. "I would hope you know that I love you and I worry about you. That's all. I hope you never feel you can't tell me something. I'm sorry if I'm cautious about this, but it's not because I don't want you to be happy."

Keith lifted his hand to rub at his temple, soothing the tension headache he could feel forming. "I know, Shiro."

"I've-I've just never heard you go on about someone before. And it's a good thing," he hastened to add. "This is nice. I like hearing how excited and happy your voice sounds. I've never heard this much enthusiasm from you about anything, not even your artwork."

Keith just hummed in response, unsure of what to say.

"But, it's just a surprise. This came out of nowhere. And it concerns me that you meet a guy and become boyfriends the very next day. It's moving fast."

"Don't think I don't realize that Shiro. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this guy slipped into my life so easily and in a way that feels like he's always been there. I can't explain it. And you know what? I don't want to explain it. This feels good. It feels right."

"I just hope he's not playing you or mooching off you or using you in some way."

Keith actually laughed at that. The thought of Lance, of all people, being manipulative and deceptive was so absurd that Keith couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny Keith. There are a lot of guys out there just like that."

"Shiro, when you meet him," Keith gasped through his laughter, "you're gonna realize how dumb you sound for even suggesting that. Lance is the most genuinely nice person I've ever met. He is NOTHING like what you're thinking. Believe me. And when you meet his best friend, who is even more so, you'll know you have nothing to worry about."

"Still…"

"No, there's no still. I'm not going to allow it. Besides, you'll be meeting him soon and then I want you to stand on top of the table at our favorite restaurant and sing the '_How Wrong Was I?_' song."

"No! No no no. You will not…"

"Yes I will. Because you're being a bit of a dick, I'm insisting."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"You made me do it that one time, so I'm pulling the revenge card out and using it. You're wrong and I'm gonna prove it to you and make you eat your words. Then you're on the table. I insist."

"Fine," Shiro growled. "And how are you going to prove this to me?"

"In person. I'm bringing him home with me when I visit."

"Really?"

"Yep. And his two friends."

"Wait, Keith, what?"

"You'll understand when you meet them all. These three are literally the best people in the world and your life will be better for knowing them. If you really think about it, I'm doing you a favor by introducing Lance, Hunk, and Shay into your life."

"Whoa wait a minute. Where am I going to put everyone?"

"Shiro, we have a three bedroom house. We'll fit everyone, believe me."

Shiro sputtered for a few more moments, before giving in, just as Keith knew he would. "Fine, bring half of Altea, for all I care."

"Nah, just those three, Drama Queen. And you do care, so stop trying to act like you don't. You'll like Lance, trust me. And you'll like Hunk and Shay even more, I promise." Keith looked up at the clock above the door of his classroom. "Look, Shiro, I gotta go. Class is starting in about ten minutes. We're gonna drive up Saturday, the sixteenth, and probably stay for two weeks. Lance really wants to get to know you and spend as much time as possible with you, Allura, and Pidge."

Shiro sighed. "Alright. Just promise to call me this coming Sunday night and we'll talk about it. I'll see if I can get a little time off too, as will Allura."

"Perfect," Keith said, allowing himself a triumphant smile. "Can't wait to see you dancing on that table."

"We'll see about that," Shiro said darkly.

"Oh, we will."

"Love you, little brother."

"Love you," he responded, then added wickedly. "And by the way? Red absolutely loves Lance. Let that sink in, Table Dancer."

He laughed as he heard the hissed "Shit!" from Shiro before he disconnected the call.

* * *

"Did you talk to Shiro, Keithy?" Lance asked that night as they ate stir fry at Keith's table. Since exams didn't use the whole class time, Keith had come home early. Lance was already home and came right over, only to find that Keith tasked him with helping to cut vegetables for dinner. Keith found that Hunk had been right, Lance followed directions perfectly and was a good helper. He told Keith he always helped his Mamá, Abuela, and Hunk, he'd just never learned the art of putting it all together.

"Don't call me that," he said. Lance had, for some reason, kept trying to get Keith to accept that as a nickname. "I did. He was a little freaked out, but he's looking forward to meeting you. I'm looking forward to winning the bet."

"What bet?"

Keith smirked. "Shiro was concerned that you were just a player trying to either break my heart, steal my non-existent money, or both." Lance squawked in protest. "He's just playing the role of worried big brother," Keith said soothingly. "However you and I both know how wrong he is. So when he meets you and finds out how awesome you are, he's going to have to eat his words."

Lance grinned a fairly malicious grin for him. "What does he have to do when he acknowledges my awesomeness?"

"Stand on a table and sing the "_How Wrong Was I?_" song."

"What's that?"

"A song we made up that we sing when we're wrong. Last time I was completely wrong about something, he made me do it at our favorite restaurant. I couldn't go back there for the longest time."

Lance laughed, dropping his fork and folding his hands over his stomach. "Oh my god I can't wait to see Shiro do that!"

Keith grinned at Lance's reaction. "Oh it's going to be beautiful. He prides himself on never being wrong. Or at least being called out on it. So this is sweet sweet revenge for me."

Lance's laughter died down and they continued eating in contented silence. Lance then told Keith more about his first day on the job and how excited he was to be back at the aquarium. They had chatted briefly about it while making dinner, but now Lance had Keith's full attention and expanded on all his stories. Keith told Lance about his day and about the exams he had given out. It was nice, he thought, as they talked, to have someone to come home to and talk about the mundane day-to-day things. He'd never had this, not really. It wasn't the same to do that with Shiro. Lance listened to him avidly, then spoke just as enthusiastically about his own day. Keith knew this was something he wanted for the rest of his life.

His thoughts wandered along those lines as he listened to Lance talk about learning how to prep food for the exhibits. He had gotten defensive with Shiro mainly because he could see Lance in his life permanently, but it was too soon to state something like that out loud. He agreed with Shiro in that this was sudden and fast, but everything still felt right to Keith. He was constantly surprised to remember that Lance hadn't been in his life the whole time.

This same scene, Lance waving his hands around in his excitement, one still clutching his fork and his dinner temporarily forgotten, Keith could picture twenty years in the future – Lance a little older looking, but still just as animated. In a nicer house, to be sure, at a larger dining table with two kids sitting at the other sides of the table watching their father with adoration. Probably the same expression that Keith knew was currently on his own features.

"Keith? Keith? You're miles away!" Lance said, laughing. "Come home to me!"

Keith shook himself, blushing a little. "Sorry. I was listening, I swear," he said guiltily.

"Then what did I say?"

Keith had the ability to listen and think deep thoughts at the same time, so he repeated what Lance had been saying, which got a pleased smile from his boyfriend. "Ok, you were listening."

"Told you," Keith teased.

"You looked like you were thinking something though."

"I was. Just thinking how much I like listening to you."

It was Lance's turn to blush and Keith loved it. He found that he could easily fluster Lance, who tried to present himself as a smooth, cool, loverboy, but was really an eager-to-please, awkward goofball. Keith preferred him as the goofball – a goofball with a serious side and loving nature. Surely, Keith hadn't laughed this much with anyone as he had this week, but he also loved that Lance was romantic and generous, curious and outgoing, showed that he cared for Keith in a million small ways, and obviously enjoyed spending time with him.

"Keeeeeith!" Lance whined, ducking his head down in embarrassment.

"What? What's wrong with that?"

"Most people say I talk too much. Hunk and Shay put up with it, but no one else likes it. Almost everyone I've dated has said I'm too much."

"Not for me, sweetheart," Keith said. He thought then how much he'd like to punch anyone who said this beautiful boy talked too much. "I could listen to you forever."

"Forever?" Lance asked, his eyes lifting enough to meet Keith's. His voice held…something…that Keith couldn't quite identify.

"Yeah, forever," Keith affirmed, then continued to eat. "So did you get to personally feed the sharks or just get their food ready?"

Keith could see the way he redirected the conversation back to something not serious threw Lance off his game. Lance stared at him for a minute before he remembered that he had a dinner in front of him and a question to answer. He shakily continued his story, quickly falling into the easy rhythms of his narration.

Keith wasn't ready for that conversation. Not yet. Did he feel it? Love? He knew he did. He also knew that he wanted something permanent with Lance, but he was sure saying that so quickly would freak Lance out. Or maybe it wouldn't? He wasn't sure. He said some of these things to see the reaction he got. He knew it probably wouldn't take him long to tell Lance that he was in love with him, but a week wasn't enough time for that.

No, he was content, at the moment, to enjoy listening to this man who had somehow become the whole focus of his life.

* * *

"Oh shit."

Keith had glanced down at his phone, which had gone off with a notification that someone was calling his FaceTime app. Pidge. He was standing at his kitchen sink, washing the dishes quietly. Lance was dozing on his couch, having passed out watching TV while they were lounging after the dinner Keith had made. Red was adorably curled up on Lance's stomach and Keith may or may not have taken a few pictures of the two of them.

He quickly dried his hands, grabbed his phone and connected the call, all while hurrying towards his bedroom to be able to talk without disturbing Sleeping Beauty in the living room. He could hear Pidge's confused voice – he knew all she could probably see was the side of his thigh until he lifted the phone enough to bring his face into frame. "Hey Pidge!"

"Hey Pidge? Oh we're still friends?"

Keith winced. "Uh yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Oh I don't know," was the angry snap back at him. "Friends USUALLY tell each other things. Friends USUALLY don't keep secrets. Friends especially don't keep SECRET boyfriends from each other."

"I'm guessing Shiro told you," Keith said, stifling a groan.

"Yes," was sizzled through the phone, which Keith now held a little away from himself. "I mean it would have been nice to hear it from YOU, but I guess I'm not important enough to be told."

"I was going to call you and tell you…"

"When?" she interrupted. "On your wedding day?"

"Pidge, we haven't even been a thing for that long," Keith said, trying to sound reasonable.

"Shiro said this has been going on for awhile."

Keith shook his head. "You know what a drama queen AND an exaggerator he can be. We haven't even been together for a week yet."

"How long?"

"Six days."

"Six days and in none of those days did you think to yourself, 'Hey I should let my loved ones know that I'm dating someone!'? Not in one of those days?"

Keith sighed, then crossed the room to his bed to sit down. "Of course I did. I wasn't going to never tell you, Jesus!"

"Could have fooled me!"

"Look, I'm sorry. I really am. I was going to call you and Shiro on Sunday, but I was too busy."

"Too busy banging this new guy?"

"No. You know I'm not like that, Pidge," he said, and could hear the slight annoyance in his tone. He tried to smooth that out. It wasn't Pidge's fault he hadn't called to tell her. "I'm sorry," he repeated, reaching his free hand up to run through his hair. "We went out on a date on Saturday, and I was going to call last night, but I spent the day finishing up the prep for exam week. I don't think I got five minutes to myself yesterday. That's why I called Shiro today. I didn't want to wait too long. I was going to call you tonight when I knew you were home."

The angry expression on Pidge's face softened. A little. He could tell she was still hurt, however. "This is the biggest news of the century and I'm the last to hear?" she said and Keith winced again at her tone.

"The week just got away from me," Keith said. "We're still getting to know each other, so we've spent every day together. Next thing I know we're saying good night and it's past ten and too late to call. I didn't just want to send it as a text message."

"Still, Keith. Shiro said you're pretty serious about this guy."

Keith felt his cheeks warm. "I am," Keith said.

"Shiro said you're bringing him home."

"Yeah. About mid-June. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. And his friends. I really think you'll get along with his friend Hunk. He's so much like you, it's scary."

"In what way?"

"Same interests, same brain, same love of robotics and mechanics. Nicest guy in the world too and can cook like you wouldn't believe."

"I look forward to meeting HIM. Who's the other?"

"Hunk's girlfriend. Lance has known them both since they were young teens."

"Lance," she said, slowly drawing out the name. "So that's the boyfriends' name. Shiro didn't mention it."

"He didn't? I know I told it to him," Keith said, rolling his eyes. "He's being a bit of a dick about this."

"With good reason, Keith," she pointed out. "Same reason I'm going to be a dick about it. You should have told us right away."

"I know, I know," Keith huffed. "But don't take this out on him. He doesn't deserve it. He's really looking forward to meeting you guys. I've told him all about you. I honestly think you all will like him."

"We'll see," she said and Keith rolled his eyes again. "At least you're finally bringing someone home with you. If he's a complete loser, at least we have that."

"He's anything but a loser, Pidge," Keith said, unable to keep a little anger out of his tone. "He's amazing, and you AND Shiro will admit it by the end of the first day."

"Where is this loverboy now?"

"Sleeping," he answered shortly.

"You jumped to sleeping together already? Wow, Keith. I can see you're in your bedroom. Tell me you didn't answer this post-fucking?"

"No!" he cried, a little frustrated. "No. Again, you know I'm not like that. Fuck, Pidge. He fell asleep on the couch after dinner. He started a new job today and was in early and was exhausted. I brought the phone in here so I wouldn't wake him."

He could feel his expression soften as he thought about Lance on his couch, about Lance working hard at his new job, his enthusiasm about it, and the cuddling they did before Lance drifted off. Pidge must have noticed – he saw her shaking her head.

"Fuck, you've got it bad," she accused.

He nodded, absently, his thoughts still lingering on the way Lance's lips felt on his collarbone. "Mm hmm."

The conversation didn't last much longer. Keith loved Pidge as much as he loved Shiro, and he knew withholding his relationship with Lance from her – even for just a few days – hurt his best friend a lot. They discussed a few things to do when they were all together and she promised to get Matt to come home for at least part of the two weeks. There was still tension in the air between them – Pidge got a few more digs in on him and on Lance - and Keith let out a loud huff when he finally disconnected the call.

"That sounded pretty rough," Lance said. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the door jam. Red trotted across the floor and jumped up next to Keith, who absently scratched at his ears.

"Did you hear all of that?"

"Enough."

"She's a tough girl, but can be pretty sensitive about some things. We've never kept anything from each other, so I'm sure not telling her right away hurt."

"I can see that," Lance said softly.

Keith was concerned at his tone. "You ok?" he asked, standing and crossing the room to his boyfriend.

Lance shrugged and tried to put on a smile, but Keith could see it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. I'm just nervous now about going home with you. Maybe it's not that great of an idea."

Keith frowned. "No, it's a great idea. Don't worry about Shiro or Pidge. They're just mad at me. They'll cool off and we'll have a great time. They really are good people."

"I don't doubt that, Keith," Lance said, his tone not his usual light-hearted one. "But maybe we should wait awhile…"

"No. You're part of my life now. I'm not leaving you for two weeks in the first place. And second, it's important to me that Shiro and Pidge meet you. I said before I don't need their approval, but I do want them to know you. I want you to be part of their lives as well."

"What if they really do hate me?"

Keith chuckled, though he was shocked that Lance could think that anyone could hate him. "Not possible. I don't think anyone on this earth could meet you and hate you."

"Keeeeeeeeith," Lance whined, embarrassed.

"Laaaaaaance," Keith whined back, then wiggled himself into Lance's arms. He gave Lance a kiss, lingering in it for a few minutes. "I'm serious. Please don't worry." Keith relished the warm feeling of safety he had come to love. His head settled on Lance's chest and he smiled as he heard and felt Lance's satisfied sigh. "My family is going to love you."

* * *

"How come you're not bugging me about our date on Saturday?" Lance asked as they walked through the park on Thursday night.

Keith tilted his head back, closing his eyes as he soaked up the late afternoon sun that was slowly sinking toward the horizon. "Mmm, probably because I want to be surprised."

"But KEITHY!" Lance said, shaking his head. "How can you NOT be curious?"

"I am," Keith said, slipping his arm around the slim waist. "But not enough to want to ruin my surprise. Besides, I trust you. And stop calling me that."

"Ugh, you're impossible," Lance complained.

Keith laughed. "Impossible because I want your surprise to be a success? I am a terrible person."

"You are! I was looking forward to denying you as much as you denied ME last week."

"If denial is what you're looking for, I can add more dates to our ten dates and make you wait even more. Since, you know, you like denial so much."

"NO! That is NOT happening," Lance nearly growled. "I'm not waiting any longer than we have to. Sleeping next to you and waking up next to you last weekend made me realize that ten dates is far too long to wait. I want to do that every night."

"You're so cute when you're whiny."

"STOP! I am not!"

"I beg to differ, beautiful." Though Lance tried to keep a frown on his face for Keith's benefit, Keith could see how pleased he was at the compliment. And their banter.

"ANYway, I mean it. Don't make me wait any longer than ten dates."

"Do you honestly think I can wait? I'm constantly cursing myself for saying ten and not five."

"KEITH!"

"LANCE!"

Lance stopped short as Keith perfectly mimicked his tone, which of course made Keith stop as his arm was still around him. "Ok, that's MY thing!"

"God you are adorable!" Keith almost shouted, turning Lance toward him and snaking his other arm around his boyfriend.

"Oh my god!"

Keith leaned up and kissed him then, right there in the park in front of everyone. Not one of Keith's chaste kisses either – one like Keith had given Lance that first night after mac and cheese and shark videos. The one where Lance responded in such a way that Keith almost stayed the night with his goofy and sexy boyfriend.

Lance did respond the same way, but they didn't prolong it. They were in the park after all and Keith wasn't one for PDA's in the first place. He couldn't help himself, though. Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's, after placing a little butterfly kiss on his nose. "You are going to be the death of me."

* * *

It was the beach. Keith figured that much out, and frankly it didn't surprise him. He only knew this because Lance couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it. Neither was he the most subtle person on the planet. On Friday, he had told Keith that he'd 'pick' him up at ten. Keith merely asked if there was anything special he should wear and Lance said that no, but that he wanted five minutes in Keith's closet to pick out his wardrobe. Keith agreed, mostly because he was exhausted after a long week of exams and dealing with students. He was in the midst of correcting his Art Appreciation class exams when Lance had broached the subject of their date.

Lance was seated on the couch next to Red watching YouTube videos as Keith sat at the table patiently correcting the papers with a red pen, wishing once again that students could remember the difference between Manet and Monet. After the exchange, it was quiet for almost five minutes before Lance interrupted again with a tone that attempted to be casual but failed miserably.

"Soooooo, Keith. You wouldn't happen to own a bathing suit, would you?"

Keith looked up from the pile of papers and stared at Lance, who was determinedly staring at his laptop screen, trying to look as if he didn't care about the answer. "Uh yeah. Yeah I do. I don't use it much, but I have one."

"Ah, I just wondered," Lance said with a shrug.

Keith smiled and turned his attention back to the paper. Lance was so obvious. It was a good thing he never wanted to be a spy or something that required discretion. Keith was not a beach person. In spite of living a few hours from the ocean his whole life, he could probably count on one hand the number of times he'd actually been. He wasn't overly fond of the effect of the sun on his pale skin. He burned quickly, badly, and it faded immediately into a peeling mess. He hated the feel of sand on his skin and the way it seemed to find every crack and crevice on his body in the worst way possible. It was generally hot, crowded, and somehow never smelled good, so he never went.

However, Lance was a complete child of the sea. Keith had had fantastic daydreams sometimes where he half-believed that Lance was a mermaid that had washed ashore and had grown legs, ala Ariel from _The Little Mermaid_. Keith wanted to see Lance in his element. He knew how much the ocean meant to Lance, and he was happy that Lance wanted to share it with him. So in spite of what he felt would be total discomfort to him, he looked forward to whatever his boyfriend had planned for the next day.

* * *

"You seriously have the neatest closet I've ever seen," Lance said halfway between a complaint and an impressed tone.

"Thanks!" Keith said, watching the boy stand in front of the closet with a smile. He was on the edge of his bed in grungy shorts and a tank top. Lance was wearing a stylish outfit of dark pink shorts that did wonders for those long tan legs, and what Keith assumed was a swim shirt that was a light blue, long-sleeved spandex thing with darker blue sleeves. His sunglasses were perched on top of his head, making a slight dent in his perfectly messy hair.

"All it does is make it easier for me to see that you do NOT have an appropriate wardrobe for our excursion today," he said with a sigh. Keith suppressed a grin, because he knew that he didn't have the sort of wardrobe that screamed "Let's go to the beach!" because he never did.

"What kind of wardrobe do I need? A parka? A wet suit?"

"Close," Lance said. He turned to give Keith an appraising look. "You're bulkier in the chest, but you MIGHT be able to fit one of my old shirts. I brought it just in case. It may be a little tight, but I guess I'll just have to suffer at the sight of you in tight fitting clothes."

"Think you can handle it?" Keith asked, not even bothering to hide the smirk.

"Probably not," Lance admitted. "Which drawer do you keep your shorts in?"

"Bottom drawer," he answered, gesturing at his dresser.

Lance went to the dresser to rifle through the bottom drawer. "This is even neater than the closet," he commented, then selected a pair and stood up. Something on the dresser caught his eye and he grabbed it up too. It was a picture frame containing a picture of both of them. "When did you take this?"

"Shay took it last week. I don't think you even noticed. I asked her to print it for me."

"Oh my god, KEITH! That is so sweet!"

Keith smiled, stood up from the bed and crossed the room so he could snake his arms around his boyfriend. "I wanted it so I could see you when I'm in my room by myself."

Keith got the desired effect of getting Lance to blush. He knew Lance was still getting used to Keith's compliments. It wasn't easy for Keith to say these things himself - he was fairly shy when it came to this whole couple thing, but he knew that Lance loved it when he said sweet, romantic things, so he tried to do it as much as possible.

"KEITH!"

He laughed and kissed Lance, then took the shorts from his flustered boyfriend's hand. "Put these on?" he asked.

"YES!"

"Alright." He let go of Lance and stepped back, bending down to drop his shorts in order to put the clean pair on.

"OH MY GOD KEITH!"

"What?"

"WHAT? You just STRIPPED in front of me!"

Keith confusedly looked at him. "I did not. My boxers are on."

"STILL!"

Keith straightened, pulling the new shorts up as he did. "Wow, just imagine when you really see me naked," he teased. "If just the sight of me in boxers gets you this flustered."

"Holy shit!"

* * *

"Why'd you have me bring my swim trunks?" he asked as Lance pulled Bunny out of the parking lot of their apartment complex.

"Duh, Keith. I know you're not that obtuse."

Keith laughed. "Wow that's a five dollar word, sweetheart."

"I bought a few of them," Lance retorted.

"I'm guessing the beach, then?"

Lance nodded, looking from side to side at the stop sign before accelerating again. "I know I should do something you want to do, like you did last week for me. And I SWEAR I'm not being selfish by taking you on a beach date. This is for your own good."

"My own good?" Keith echoed, thoroughly amused.

"Yes. You're too pale. You need sun, Keith. You need fresh air."

"I get fresh air all the time," Keith pointed out. "I go running nearly every day."

"In the city."

"In the park. And at the college. It's still fresh air."

"It's not fresh BEACH air, Keith."

Keith just shrugged, relaxing his head against the headrest.

"Don't tell me you don't like the beach?" Lance asked, aghast.

"I've never really been," he said. "I mean, yeah, a couple of times, but I just remember being disappointed," he admitted.

"How could the beach disappoint you!?"

"I just remember annoying sand in places that didn't need to have annoying sand. Too hot. Too crowded."

"When was this?"

"Oh," he thought. "I guess awhile ago. Maybe the summer after Dad died? I think Shiro thought it would cheer me up, so we went over to one of those coastal towns for a few days. The town was nice, I suppose, but the beach wasn't."

Lance frowned. "I wonder if it was one of those tourist trap towns where the beaches get really crowded and disgusting."

"I know there was a ton of people there."

"Which town?"

"Honestly can't remember. I can ask Shiro if you really want to know. It wasn't too far from home, if I remember correctly."

Lance was silent for a long minute, which worried Keith. Lance wasn't usually quiet and liked to fill the quiet spaces with chatter – usually unimportant things. At least unimportant to others. Keith considered them little golden nuggets of insight into Lance, his life, and his character. Family was a favorite topic. So were Hunk and Shay. Sharks were definitely mentioned at least several times a day, and now that Lance was working at the aquarium, Keith got to know everyone Lance worked with so well that he felt he didn't even need to meet them.

"What's wrong?" Keith finally asked.

Lance sighed. "I'm thinking I did this wrong." Keith winced at how dejected his boyfriend sounded.

"Why do you think that?"

"Well," Lance said, steadily looking straight ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel. "You hate the beach. And I planned a whole day there. I knew it was stupid. I should have listened to my brain. It TOLD me to do what you did for me. But," and here he released his hand to slide his fingers through his hair, "I couldn't really afford what I wanted to do."

"Lance," Keith began, then paused as he thought on how to say what he wanted, "I've told you time and time again that you don't have to spend money on me."

"I know, Keith, but…"

"No. Stop. I said this on the first date, ok? Sweetheart, please stop worrying about that. I don't need anything. I just need you."

"But you hate the beach."

"I had a bad experience, yes. But that doesn't mean that I can't have a good experience there. And I know I will, because we'll be together. You can show me why you love the beach so much, and I can maybe learn to love it too."

"You really don't mind?"

"Of course not. I want to experience things with you, Lance. Things you love, things I love. We can learn about each other that way. I think it makes us closer, don't you."

Lance glanced away at the road to Keith, finally smiling, "I do, Keithy. That's another reason I wanted to take you," he said, his cheeks darkening. "I mean, I do also want to get you on a shark dive, but I think we can wait until Miami for that."

"We'll see, McClain. I'll do a lot for you, but I'm not sure I'll swim with sharks. And don't call me that."

* * *

This…wasn't what Keith expected. When he had finally figured out that Lance planned to take him to the beach, he figured it would be one of the many public beaches dotting the coast of California. He would never have told Lance that the thought annoyed him because he knew how Lance felt about the beach and the ocean, but he wasn't expecting this at all.

Lance headed out of Altea toward Mendocino, which Keith knew lay on the coast and was approximately an hour from their town. It was a pleasant drive on the Pacific Coast highway. The day was warm and sunny with a brisk breeze from the ocean. They left the windows down and listened to Lance's 'Road Trip' playlist, which included a lot of catchy sing-a-long songs – and a lot of songs to which Lance could seat-dance, which had Keith laughing the entire drive. Keith wouldn't admit to anyone that he eventually joined in and let loose himself a little, much to Lance's evident delight.

Lance eventually turned right off the main road, passed an inn, turned left, and drove a short bit down the drive to a little building with a dirt parking lot.

"Canoe and Kayak Rentals?" Keith asked as Lance cut the engine to Bunny.

"Have you ever done either?"

"Yeah. Shiro and I have a few times when we've gone on hiking trips."

"You like it?"

"Of course!"

Lance looked relieved and opened the door to slide out of the car. "Good," he grunted over the car roof at Keith. "I worked here one summer and know the owner. They actually have these outrigger types of boats. I was able to reserve one on the house. They're a canoe, but with stabilizers, so we don't have to worry about tipping."

"Sounds cool!"

They went up to the little ramshackle shack that housed the canoe rental office. Keith saw a small dock extending out into the…river? It didn't look like the ocean. After Lance spoke with the kid at the desk, he returned with a pair of lifejackets. "These are required with rentals," Lance said, handing one to Keith. "It's probably a good idea, in case something happens."

"I don't mind," Keith said, hooking his arm through the jacket.

"I need to grab a couple of things from the trunk. Want to help?"

"You know I do."

The 'couple of things' turned out to be a picnic basket, a large backpack, another smaller bag, and a faded plaid blanket. Keith slung the backpack over his shoulder and took the blanket while Lance handled the rest. "Come on, baby! Let our adventure begin!"

'_The adventure began two weeks ago,'_ Keith thought, but didn't say aloud. He'd made Lance blush a lot already, and he wasn't about to fluster his boyfriend again. At least not yet.

They went back to the dock and met the kid from the counter – Jeff – at the boats. The outrigger canoes looked home made and were gorgeous. Jeff explained that a local builder, who put much care and attention into his work, made them out of redwood. Jeff also went over a few of the safety rules - wear the life jacket at all times in the water, etc.

Jeff then helped them load their things into the outrigger, pointing out the bungee cords that Lance then used to strap down their larger items. "Alright, paddles are in the canoe and you have it for the entire day. We close at dusk, so make sure you're back by then," the young man said cheerfully, giving the couple a little wave before heading back to the shack and another waiting customer.

Lance, playing the part of gentleman, held out his hand to Keith in order to help him into the boat. Keith smiled, allowing this romantic gesture because Lance was just too cute to not let him. Once Keith had settled into the front seat, Lance scrambled down into the back. He first insisted that Keith cover himself with the sunscreen he pulled from the smaller bag, so Keith did - grateful because the sun was out with only scattered clouds available to give them shade. Lance then took out two floppy hats that Keith thought looked like Outback hats, only made of canvas. The brim was big enough to keep the sun out of their eyes and it had a strap to go under the chin. It took them a few minutes to situate themselves and for Lance to untie the outrigger from it's mooring, but they were soon paddling out into the middle of the river.

"I'm gonna aim upriver. I figure heading against the current when we start out will be easier than trying it when we're tired at the end of the day," Lance called out to Keith.

"Sounds like a plan!" Keith said over his shoulder. "This isn't exactly the beach."

He heard Lance's laugh. "No. The beach is only PART of the day Keith," he responded. "This is the estuary part of the river - where the Big River meets the ocean. It's a few miles long, but is pretty easy to paddle," Lance explained. "If we went the other way, we'd be at the Pacific in a few minutes. But I thought we could explore upriver for a bit. There's places to swim - the water's never very deep. And we can get out and look around too. This is all protected area."

"It's beautiful," Keith said, dipping his oar into the water under Lance's direction. And it was. Keith didn't know how they had lucked out, but there weren't many people on the river at the moment. Two kayakers were paddling ahead of them and Keith could hear the faint laughter fading out from bathers at the beach Lance had said was on the other side of the rental place. Other than that, there was no one.

They soon left the laughter and traffic noise behind and were now in the sweet silence of the river journey. A silence filled with the splash of their paddles, the singing of hundreds of birds, and the whir of insects. The sun was warm on them, but there was a slight breeze coming down the quiet river.

Lance was right, the water wasn't deep at all and they could see the bottom, especially when they shipped their oars and just drifted for a few minutes. The amount of fish passing under them was incredible and varied, and Keith loved that Lance would tell him the name of the fish and little trivia tidbits about them. Trees bordered the river itself and Keith had a brief fantasy of being in the olden times, just him and Lance paddling their canoe on an exploration of the Wild West. It was so soothing to be where almost no one else was.

Lance kept up a string of conversation, all of it educational, which Keith enjoyed. He saw a new aspect of his boyfriend during their time in the outrigger. Lance liked to portray himself as a silly and addle-brained goofball with his dramatic gestures and emphasized speech mannerisms. Keith knew he was intelligent. You don't get to where Lance was - a PhD candidate - if you were an idiot. However, to see him in his element, expounding on the environment they were passing through, pointing out things to Keith that Keith would never have noticed, was an amazing thing. When Keith would look at Lance over his shoulder and see his boyfriend pointing excitedly to the left or right, urging Keith to look, his eyes alight with excitement, he fell in love all over again.

They paddled for two hours, pausing only long enough once they reached Redwoods, to beach the outrigger and explore a bit. The quiet forest was even more appealing to Keith, who grew up in the Northern California mountains, so this felt like home to him. This time he was with Lance, and while Lance had been able to tell him everything about the estuary, Keith was able to share his knowledge from all the hikes and overnights he and Shiro had been on in their life. He pointed out tracks of deer to Lance, who got excited to see one, though Keith was sure the shy creatures wouldn't show themselves.

They didn't linger long in the forest and returned to the outrigger to continue their journey upriver. When they reached a bend, Lance directed Keith to paddle towards the bank where a depression had been carved out by the rushing water. There was a small beach, somewhat sandy, but mostly covered in small river-washed pebbles. The water was shallow and clear. When they got a couple of yards from the shore, Lance jumped out of the outrigger and surprised Keith with his strength by pulling the small craft to the edge of the river and beaching it.

"Good thing I wore these water shoes huh?" Lance said as he slipped off the life jacket. "You'll thank me too."

"I already do," Keith answered, stepping out of the small boat into the water too. His shoes were too large for him – he wore Hunk's as he didn't have his own. They were sufficient, though Keith was worried they'd fall off and float away.

Lance gave Keith a pleased grin, then shoo'ed him up onto the beach, halting Keith from trying to help with whatever Lance needed to do. "Nope. I got this, baby. I'm romancing YOU today, so I'll do all the work. You just relax and look pretty, ok?"

Keith rolled his eyes at the compliment, but laughed. "Ok. If you insist." He also took off his life jacket and wandered up onto the small beach to have a look around. They must have been about four miles up the river at this point. It was mid-afternoon already. The sun burned hot overhead, though there was a nice breeze that made it comfortable in the secluded spot. There was no one around, so the only sounds were birds, insects, the breeze through the trees, and Lance's voice singing in Spanish.

When Keith turned his attention back to his boyfriend, he saw that Lance had lugged the picnic basket up onto the beach and placed it on top of the old blanket he had spread on the most non-pebbly spot. Lance had stopped to survey his handiwork with his hands on his hips, upper teeth chewing worriedly at his lower lip. He looked so damn cute that Keith felt the urge to rush up to him, grab him, and spend the rest of the day kissing away that adorable little pout.

He must have caught Lance's eye, however, and Lance sent him a little smirk as if he could read Keith's mind. He lifted his hand to beckon Keith to him, and Keith went willingly. "Shoes off," he demanded before Keith stepped onto the blanket. Lance, he saw, had already tossed aside his own shoes.

Keith kicked the shoes off and finally got to Lance where he put his arms around the boy's waist. Lance smiled down at him, then planted a kiss on Keith's forehead. "I thought this might be a good place for lunch," he said.

"Mmm," Keith hummed. "It's perfect sweetheart."

Keith knew Lance loved it when he called him that, so he made sure to do it several times a day. The effect was instant – Lance became like putty in his arms. Lance rested his own arms on Keith's shoulders and pressed his forehead to Keith's. "I'm glad. You deserve perfect."

"True," Keith agreed. "And I have it right here." With that, he gave Lance a kiss, knowing that the simple statement would fluster his boyfriend. It did.

"Keeeeeeeith," Lance whined a little, blushing bright red. He wiggled out of Keith's arms and directed him to have a seat. Lance gracefully lowered himself onto the blanket next to the basket, not meeting Keith's eyes just yet. Instead, he lifted the top and rummaged around inside, pulling Tupperware containers out and stacking them in front of himself.

"Sorry this isn't a little fancier," he apologized, his tone calm in spite of his flustered appearance.

"You know I don't like fancy."

"I know. But you DESERVE fancy, Keith."

"We're in the middle of the woods, Lance," Keith pointed out. "I'm not expecting silver platters and precious china."

"I wouldn't have that anyway," Lance said, shooting Keith a little grin. "I do have some pretty fancy splatterware. You know, the camping type of gear."

"Ah yeah. Shiro and I use that stuff too."

Lance put the two metal plates on the blanket between them, then also placed two splatterware mugs on the blanket. "Not exactly fancy wine glasses, but this seemed better than lugging crystal out here."

Keith helped him with opening the containers. "Hunk packed this for us," Lance informed him. 'I helped. We made Cuban Tapas! Well, at least Hunk's Cuban version of Spanish Tapas."

"I've been to Tapas bars before. There's a great place where Matt lives. Never had Cuban style though," Keith mentioned, eagerly looking at the food. His mouth was watering.

"It's all cold style tapas, of course," Lance said in an almost-apologetic tone. "Not exactly easy to serve hot tapas out here. Hunk said he'd do a tapas night soon for us, but these cold ones are good too."

"Everything looks amazing!"

The food, and the wine Lance had also brought ("We're not supposed to have this out here, Keith, don't tell ANYone!"), was delicious. Keith thought, as he had thought before, that Hunk had truly missed his calling. He knew Hunk was as passionate about engineering as he was about cooking, but he also felt that Hunk could make a name for himself in the culinary world. There was an avocado and onion salad, fried plantain chips with a spicy dipping sauce, pickled octopus, a variety of little sandwiches with different fillings and spreads, as well as cut meats and cheeses with olives and pickled artichokes, and fried pork that Lance called 'chicharones'. It all had a fresh and spicy flavor that transported Keith to the Caribbean.

"If your Abuela's food is anything like this, I will probably die a happy man right there in Miami," Keith mumbled through a mouthful of plantain.

Lance laughed, "Don't die on me. I'd like you around for a little longer."

Lance had apologized for the lack of 'fancy', but though food was in plain containers and eaten off aluminum plates, it was fresh, delicious, and made with love by Hunk. It was fancy in every way possible and Keith's heart was just overwhelmed. To sit and talk easily to his Lance on this secluded beach, having seen a different aspect of his boyfriend, to eat and just enjoy each other's company meant everything in the world to him.

They cleaned up after they finished and packed the outrigger once again. "I have some stuff for dinner, too," Lance told him. "Nothing as fancy as this," he said, nodding to the mostly empty containers.

"As long as we're together, I can eat stale crackers all day," Keith said, grinning at Lance, who blushed again.

"Keithy!" he said.

"Don't call me that!"

* * *

They floated down the river, taking the time to relax and let the current do the work. Lance, his oar in the water mainly to steer while Keith's lay across his lap, pointed out more flora and fauna to Keith. They encountered more people on the way back. Before they reached the canoe rental place, Lance directed the outrigger to the far side bank to another little cove similar to where they had their lunch.

"There's a good place for a dip here," Lance said as they beached the canoe again. "And it's been an hour since we ate, so we should be safe."

"Is that even a true thing?" Keith asked curiously.

"Probably not," Lance shrugged with a grin. "But Mamá always said so, and I'm not one to argue with her!"

"I guess it would be taking your life into your own hands to argue with her," Keith agreed. "At least from what you've told me."

Lance nodded emphatically. "Oh yeah. Mama can be intimidating. But," he hastily added, "Don't worry. They are going to love and spoil you. I just KNOW it. I think Mama and Abuelita will be just so excited that I'm bringing someone home, they'll love you automatically!"

Lance sprang out of the canoe and pulled it up more securely onto the beach. Keith followed a little more slowly, his thoughts lingering over Lance's use of the word 'love'. His boyfriend was insanely dramatic, so using the word wasn't exactly a surprise, but to speak with such conviction that his family would 'love' Keith was a little overwhelming. Lance hadn't even told him that. Yet. Keith knew it was coming soon, though. He shook his head, wondering who would say it first.

"C'mon slowpoke!" Lance called to him.

Keith nearly choked. Lance had pulled his shirt over his head and oh did that sight do things to Keith's heart and, admittedly, his body. Keith was convinced Lance's action was completely on purpose – it was too sultry and sexy a move. He had seen Lance shirtless before; the video Lance had showed him of his research the summer before had many shots of Lance wearing only swim shorts. But that had been on a laptop screen. The actual thing, live and in person, standing in front of him in all his glory almost made him lose it.

Lance was slim and lean, and one would first think he had no muscle or strength, but that was a deception. Keith could see the toned muscles under the golden tanned skin. He was also virtually hairless, though Lance had admitted to Keith that he 'manscaped' himself. That, along with Lance's obsession with his skin care, left him smooth skinned and beautiful. Only his legs were hairy, which Keith didn't mind. Keith himself didn't bother with any of the things Lance would do to himself. He hoped Lance wouldn't mind.

Lance, now that his shirt was off and tossed to the side, noticed Keith ogling him and gave his boyfriend a knowing smirk. "Like what you see?"

"You know I do," Keith said, trying to sound smooth and completely failing. It got Lance to laugh though.

"I'm gonna go behind those trees," Lance said, gesturing vaguely at the edge of the small beach. "And change into my swim trunks. NO peeking! You don't get this," he added, pointing his fingers down at himself, "until the tenth date."

Keith rolled his eyes. "You go ahead and I promise not to look. I'll keep an eye on our stuff."

"NO peeking!" Lance said again as he disappeared into the trees. Keith just laughed. As tempted as he was to see Lance fully naked, he knew there was a certain sweetness to waiting and anticipation.

He had turned back to the river to watch the peaceful water while he waited for Lance to return and was surprised to see a little head poke out of the water. Keith stared at it with a mixture of awe and fear. Large dark eyes stared at him below a sleek, wet, gray/black head.

"Oh!" Lance breathed behind Keith, startling him. "I was hoping we'd run into them."

At hearing Lance's voice, soft as it was, the head ducked under the water, getting a disappointed whine from Lance.

"What was that?" Keith whispered.

"Harbor seal," Lance supplied. "They sometimes come up the river a little bit. They're really playful and will swim with people sometimes. Go get your trunks on and we can go and see if he's the only one!"

With that possibility, Keith practically ran into the woods and changed quickly into his red swim shorts, snorting as Lance yelled a reminder to put more sunscreen on himself. When he returned to the beach, Lance was standing in the water to about mid-shin. Keith dumped his clothing into the outrigger and joined his boyfriend.

"Let's wade in a bit more and sit. If you're really still, they might come up to you. Once they're used to us, we can probably swim a bit with them."

Keith followed Lance further into the water, completely charmed at the idea of swimming with the sea creatures. He had no idea the date would include this and his mind was blown with the possibility. The water was warm in the shallow pool and Lance waded toward the middle and sat down. The water only came up to his upper stomach and Keith had to force himself to keep his eyes away from his boyfriend.

They waited patiently, enjoying the sun and the quiet in this secluded part. A few kayakers went by, calling out greetings and sending waves, to which they both responded, but mostly they kept silent.

Their patience was rewarded when the water was disturbed in front of them and two heads poked out to look at them. Keith's breath caught in his throat as he watched the cute little creatures. The one on the left shook his head, spraying water around and both boys flinched. The seals ducked under again, but one popped up right next to Keith for a brief moment before disappearing. Three more soon joined and Keith had trouble keeping his eyes on the seals as they played around them.

Lance leaned forward slowly, stretching himself in the water and swimming toward the main part of the river, so Keith followed him and soon found himself in the midst of the seals all diving and twisting around him. It was one of the most magical moments of his life and he barely knew where to look as the seals darted around them so fast. He didn't dare touch them; Lance had warned him not to reach for them. They were playful, but they were also wild animals and therefore they needed to be careful.

The seals, however, had no compunctions about rubbing up against the two young men swimming with them. They were soft, much softer than Keith would have imagined them to be. The silky feel of their bodies against his arms or legs gave him a little thrill. While he wouldn't have disobeyed Lance's warning for the world, he did want to run his hands over their fur.

The boys only got about ten minutes with the seals before something triggered them to take off and disappear. Keith and Lance swam back to the little cove and stood up in the water so that they could wade to shore.

"That. Was. Incredible!" Keith exclaimed as they stepped up on to the beach.

Lance laughed and when Keith caught his eyes, his breath caught at how beautiful Lance looked. Happy and shining in the sun, with his damp hair curling around his ears and neck. Lance ran his hands over his body, sloughing the water off a little and Keith wanted nothing more than to be the one to do that. The knowing smirk Lance gave him before responding let Keith know that his thoughts were as plain as day.

"I haven't done that in a long time. Ever since before we left for San Diego. Hunk, Shay, and I came up here a few times. That was only the second time the seals came to play."

"I can't believe that happened," Keith said, running his hands through his hair and squeezing it to get out the excess water.

"I'm so happy they came. Harbor Seals can be kinda touchy. These were a bunch of youngsters. They tend to be a little more playful. The older ones are too dignified to play. Or lazy."

Keith laughed. "Normal or not, it was incredible. Thank you so much."

"We have some Harbor Seals at the aquarium," Lance mentioned. "They're trained and really friendly. I'll have to take you to meet them someday! If you want, that is."

"Oh I definitely want."

* * *

"So have I changed your opinion of the beach?"

The soft-voiced question in his ear stirred Keith from the slight doze he was slipping into. A small fire danced in front of him, which was mesmerizing enough in itself, but when you added the quiet slither of the waves caressing the beach a few yards away, he felt the exhaustion of the week drain away. That he was between Lance's legs - his back against Lance's chest - Lance's arms loosely draped around him – may also have contributed to the overwhelming feeling of contentment that had lulled him toward sleep.

After swimming with the harbor seals, Lance and Keith returned to the kayak rental place to return the outrigger. The beach that faced the Pacific Ocean was a short walk away, so they carried their bags and the picnic basket to, according to Lance, the PERFECT spot. Lance built a small driftwood fire ("It's ok, KEITHY! We used to do it all the time here!" "Don't call me that.") and unpacked what he had packed for dinner – Hunk-made sandwiches, Hunk-made salsa with chips, and Hunk-made coleslaw.

"I told you nothing as grand as lunch," Lance said, his tone apologetic.

"It's perfect," Keith returned, eagerly diving into the dinner. The canoe and swimming adventure had fueled his appetite.

They spent the rest of the evening exploring the beach. Lance once again showed off his knowledge of marine life when they came across tidal pools full of creatures. Keith listened avidly to his boyfriend, in continual amazement at how much Lance knew and how easily he explained everything.

Lance caught Keith's eyes at one point, then said a little self-consciously, "What? Am I talking too much?"

Keith laughed, reaching across the small pool they were squatting by to take Lance's hand. "Not at all, sweetheart. I like listening to you. I was just thinking about what you said about teaching."

"You were? What about it?"

"That you'd be a great teacher. The way you explain things…" Keith shrugged. "I can't stop listening to you."

Lance blushed, looking down at their now-joined hands. "Thanks, Keith," he said. "That means a lot to me."

They didn't go swimming again, though they did watch the other couples, families, and friend groups that occupied the beach with them as they enjoyed the water. They waded. They built a stone and sandcastle. Talked. Collected a few shells. Keith found a piece of driftwood that he was sure he could turn into something. It was well weathered and twisty, but reminded him of a shark. He hummed to himself as he ran his hand over the smoothed wood and decided he would take it home and transform it so he could give it to Lance.

The sunset was the perfect end to a perfect day. They snuggled together side-by-side on the old blanket they had carried to the edge of the water, arms around each other as the sun dipped itself delicately into the ocean and sunk out of sight, painting the sky in intense reds and oranges that took their breath away.

"You know, I've never watched the sunset with anyone special," Lance said. "I mean, yeah, Hunk of course, but never anyone I've dated."

"I feel special," Keith murmured.

"You are," Lance assured him.

Keith smiled, turning his head to nuzzle his face against Lance's neck, pressing a small kiss on his pulse, chuckling when he felt it quicken. He felt fingers on his chin and let Lance guide him into position for a proper kiss, one that heated Keith up which felt welcome in the cooling air.

They moved back to their fire, or rather the remains of the fire that had gone out while they were playing on the beach. Lance rekindled it, then sat with his back against a large piece of driftwood, holding up his arms. Keith understood the unspoken request and was soon wrapped up in Lance, the blanket, and the warmth of the fire. They didn't speak. Many of the people had left the beach, but there were a few die hards, like Lance and Keith, who had stayed and built their own fires. Keith felt at peace, safe, and relaxed, which was probably why he allowed himself to drift, thinking thoughts of Lance as he listened to the waves and Lance's breaths next to his ear.

"Mmm," Keith hummed in response to Lance's question. His tongue felt heavy, as if it didn't want to make the effort to talk.

"I can't tell if that's a 'yes' or a 'no'," Lance playfully complained.

"Yeah."

"Good. I plan on bringing you often."

"That'd be nice."

"You sound sleepy."

"I am a little," Keith admitted. "Exam week is a long week. But it's done and today was the perfect sort of day to get me to relax."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"No, I loved it."

"Keithy…" Lance breathed out just barely above a whisper.

"Don't call me that," Keith responded automatically.

Lance removed his arm from around Keith's waist, chuckling a little at the whine Keith let out. He used his now-free hand to gently push Keith's hair aside so that he could press a few kisses to the nape of Keith's neck, which turned the whine into a contented hum. "How about I get you home? Tuck you into bed? It's a long drive back and you look pretty tuckered out."

Keith, who had been relishing the feel of Lance's little love nips, grunted. "Did you honestly just say 'tuckered out'?"

Lance laughed, "I did."

"So I'm dating an eighty year old man from Kentucky?"

Lance placed a sloppier kiss on Keith's neck, which shot Keith forward a bit as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. "If that's what turns you on…"

Keith growled, twisting around to shoot a half-amused, half-glare at his boyfriend. "Oh you know what turns me on."

He could see how flustered Lance was at that, even in the dim glow of the fire. To save face, Lance snorted and exclaimed, "Yeah, me!" in an attempt to fluster Keith back.

It didn't work too well, because Keith caressed a hand over Lance's thigh and purred out, "You know it, baby."

That brought both of Lance's hands up to cover his face, "Keith!" he whined. "You can't just SAY things like that!"

Keith finally laughed. "Yes, I can say things like that. Especially when I get you to blush like this." He turned around and settled back against Lance, who once again brought his arms around Keith. They stayed in that position for five or so minutes before Keith spoke up again. "Can we stay a little longer?" Keith asked in a calmer and sleepy tone. "I'm just so comfortable right here with you."

He felt the easy rumble of Lance's laughter, even as the breathy laugh ghosted past his ear. "Of course. I don't think there's a closing time for this beach, so we're ok. Drift of to sleep, my Keithy," he murmured loud enough for Keith to hear, but not loud enough to rouse him from the whisper of sleep that was calling to him. "I'll keep you safe and warm."

The last things Keith remembered before drifting off to sleep was the sound of the waves, the sound of Lance's heartbeat, the sharp and salty scent of the sea, the warmth and comfort of strong and lean arms around him, and his last mumbled words. "Don't call me that."

* * *

**A/N: ** Just a note about the location of their date - I've honestly never been to California, so I have no idea if the things they do at Big River in Mendocino are actually doable. I *read* about the activities you can do there and the canoe/kayak rental place is a real place, as is the river and the beach. I've pored over the Google satellite map of the area and tried my best through that, pictures, and blogs about the place to hopefully represent that accurately. I'm sorry if any of it isn't. :)

Also, I began this AU before it was revealed that Shiro is gay in canon, and I noted him as having a girlfriend. As I didn't intend this to be a series, I didn't name her in the first installment. Once I began developing this as a series, I decided to have the girlfriend be Allura, in order to use Voltron characters, and to be honest I mildly shipped them as I thought their personalities were pretty similar. I don't mean to disrespect Shiro's character in the show, but in this AU, he is in a het relationship for the moment.


End file.
